A Place for Her
by BookProf101
Summary: Batty goes to look for a place she can use as secret agent headquarters with Hound by her side, as always.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews about my first fanfiction, Sisterly Sleep. I am open to suggestions and would love to hear from you! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Penderwicks.**

Everyone had a place where they go when they want to be alone, a place all to themselves.

Except Batty Penderwick.

Jane had her rock deep in Quigley Woods, Skye had the roof, and Rosalind had a pear tree that had been planted in the front yard when she was born. Hound loved to eat the pears that fell to the ground, or at least squish them when they were too ripe.

So Batty, with Hound of course, set off to find a place to make her own. She tried making a list of places to call her own but the secret agent in her told her that if the list fell into someone's hands, they would be able to find her.

"What do you think, Hound? Where can we be secret agents on a mission?" Hound barked and marched toward Batty's closet. They squished themselves in, barely fitting before throwing open the door. Besides, the clothes wouldn't provide much peace and contemplation, as they took up most of the space. A thought suddenly struck Batty. To make the place hers, she'd have to have some of her things in it. Piling a few of her stuffed animals into her red wagon, Batty clattered down the stairs and out the front door onto Gardam Street.

"Let's go Hound. We're on an adventure to find our secret agent headquarters." Tail wagging, Hound followed Batty as they rounded the corner to the street over.

Meanwhile, Rosalind was in the kitchen, humming softly to herself. It was something she did unconsciously while cooking. Taking out a well-used cookbook that had been a wedding present to her mother, she pored over recipes, trying to find one that would be perfect for Tommy. She'd made brownies for Cagney, but what would Tommy like?

Jane strolled into the kitchen, pen and notebook in hand. "What are you making, Rosy?"

"I'm trying to find a recipe for Tommy, like how I'd made brownies for Cagney," she answered without looking up. "I can't seem to find anything special though."

"Too bad, but don't give up! It'll taste delicious because it was made with the love from your heart. I'm going to write." Jane gave a little wave and set off for Quigley Woods.

Batty scoured the street, looking for a cozy little nook or cranny she could call hers. The street, Sandwich Place, was very unfamiliar and sloped downward. She checked that Gary the Gecko and Lily the Leopard were secure before starting down the street.

Hound watched Batty walk down a strange street and barked before running toward her. Letting her out of his sight would be disastrous. Batty turned around.

"Hound! NO!"

Hound knocked the little girl over, showering her in kisses. The wagon started rolling down the hill, picking up speed until it disappeared from view. Batty managed to shove Hound off of her and stood up, checking for cuts. Seeing that there were none, she whirled around to check that her wagon was undamaged and saw nothing.

"Hound! We have to find Gary and Lily! They'll be so scared." Taking Hound's collar she ran down the street and saw-

A little red wagon upturned, the wheels still spinning, stuffed animals nowhere in sight. She felt a tear slide down her face, but then straightened. She was not going to cry because she was a secret agent, and secret agents could go anywhere and do anything. Setting the wagon right side up, Batty looked around. She was standing in a small backyard with a tiny sandbox. The house in front of her, from what she could see, looked sad. Its window glass was dirty and smudged, patched curtains letting weak rays of sunlight in. The garage door looked beaten and was barely standing. Flowers were hanging limply on their stems, or not at all. It was a lonely, desolate place, slowly fading into nonexistence. And standing right in the middle of the yard was a boy.

He couldn't have been more than eight years old, with a smirk stretched across his face. It didn't quite fit, Batty realized; a smile would have looked much better on him.

"What are you doing in my yard, runt?" He looked at her, unsure if she was a friend or foe.

"I-I'm Batty," she whispered, barely heard.

"You didn't answer my question." Taking a step forward, he loomed over her little five year old self. His grey eyes peered into hers.

"I'm looking for my stuffed animals. Have you seen them?" Batty squeaked out. He was so big and scary; she suddenly wished for a sister or her father to hide behind, but Batty, a secret agent, hadn't told anyone where she was going.

"Get lost-you're trespassing. And take your stupid dog with you." He aimed a surly kick at Hound, who growled.

Enflamed, Batty shouted, "Hound isn't stupid! He's the best dog in the world! And I'm already lost!" With that she ran away, dragging the wagon behind her. How could someone say that? Hound was her best friend next to Ben, who was at a doctor's appointment that day.

Now Batty really was lost; everything looked strange, and yet familiar, as Sandwich Place was a mirror of Gardam Street, though less friendly. Sitting in her wagon, Batty sighed.

"Well, Hound, we're not much closer to finding a headquarters, and we're l-lost." She began to cry.

**Please review and tell me what you think Rosalind should make for Tommy! Questions, comments, and constructive criticism welcome.**

**-BookProf101**


	2. Chapter 2

Rosalind looked up from her recipe book, eyes tired. None of the recipes had seemed just right for Tommy, and daylight was fading fast. _I should check on Batty,_ she thought. _It's been too quiet around here._ Closing the book, she searched the house from floor to rafter; eventually going up to the roof on the off chance Batty had gone up there. Rosalind didn't see her, but did see Skye, who was sitting cross legged with a thick math book on her lap. Brow furrowed, she didn't seem to notice Rosalind sitting down next to her.

"X equals 2.5 so Y must be…" she trailed off, mumbling.

"Skye? Have you seen Batty?" Rosalind looked directly at her sister, instead of the ground. Though she loved climbing the pear tree in the front yard, the roof had always given her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. The sooner she got off, the better.

"No, not since she went off with that stupid red wagon of hers. I could hear it all the way up here." Shaking her head, Skye turned her attention back to the complicated algebra problem she had started.

"Which way did she go? It's getting dark and if she was playing outside she would have come in by now," Rosy said, getting increasingly worried with every second.

"I don't know; go ask Jane. She might have gone to Quigley Woods pretending to be a silly secret agent or something." After Skye turned her attention back to the textbook, Rosalind left, taking a jacket off the hook in the kitchen before she left for Quigley Woods. Summer was quickly turning to autumn and the nights were getting colder and colder.

Firstly though, she went to see Tommy and Nick, on the off chance that they might have seen Batty. Rosalind opened the door, footsteps echoing. The door was always open for her, after Mrs. Geiger had gotten tired of the doorbell and considered it a pointless formality when Rosalind and Tommy were so close.

"Hello?" Rosalind strode into the kitchen and was greeted by the sight of the entire Cameron High School Football team. They were joking around, crumbs from their sandwiches spilling all over the floor. _Mrs. Geiger isn't going to be happy about that,_ she thought. Rosalind shook her head; she wasn't here about a football team's manners and eating habits; she was here about Batty.

"Rosy!" Tommy exclaimed, hugging her. "Want a sandwich? They're peanut butter and jelly." His eyes twinkled in time with his smile, sending a warm feeling through Rosalind which lasted seconds before she thought of Batty.

"I'm actually looking for Batty. I haven't seen her all day and neither has Skye. I was going to ask if you've seen her." Rosalind's worried expression caused Tommy's grin to drop off.

"I haven't seen her, but I'll help you look for her. Batty can't have gone far and Hound will keep her safe." Rosalind gave him a weak but appreciative smile and they set off for Quigley Woods to see Jane.

Batty cried until she couldn't cry much more. Hound licked the last tears from her cheeks and, with renewed energy, the two walked in a random direction, up a hill and around the corner. They came face to face with the edge of Quigley Woods.

"I know where we are, Hound! Let's go find Jane's rock." Hound's tail wagged and Batty bounded into the forest, careful not to trip but extremely happy to be in someplace familiar. A small bubbling creek was in front of Batty and in her joy, she tried to jump it like she had seen Skye do on the way to a MOPS once, but fell in. She waded out and sat on a hollowed out log.

The wind picked up and she shivered, leaning against Hound for warmth.

Jane looked up from her blue notebook, mind still swathed in epic romance and saw two figures, holding hands and laughing. The chill wind knocked her out of her reverie and Jane was suddenly faced by two people, both worried.

"They stared up at her with mixed emotions, though one was ultimately clear: pure and undisguised worry. So what are you two doing? I was going to head back to the house soon." Jane closed her notebook, her author sense picking up on the tenseness in Rosalind's eyes. She looked like she was getting closer and closer to tears.

"We're looking for Batty. Rosalind hasn't seen her all day but Skye knows she had her red wagon with her, as well as Hound," Tommy answered. His curls were lying a little flatter than usual. Jane squinted, trying to remember if she had seen Batty. She shook her head.

"I haven't seen her since breakfast, when she tipped over her oatmeal onto Hound and both had to get a bath. How can I help?" Jane hopped down from her rock.

"We're going to search Quigley Woods. It's getting colder outside and Batty's probably really hungry," Rosalind said, much more calmly than she felt. _Stay calm, Rosy_, she told herself. _You'll find her._ But her mind kept running over all the things that could go wrong. What if someone kidnapped her? What if she's hurt? What if?

"I'll search toward the house; you and Rosy can look along the creek. From my Sabrina Starr novels, she's got to know that water is essential to finding your bearings," Jane said, readying her determination. Sabrina Starr was back to find the missing sister.

**Please review. **

**-BookProf101**


	3. Chapter 3

Tommy and Rosalind looked on both sides of the creek, eventually coming to an old, hollowed out log with a wet, sleeping five year old and a dog curled next to it. Rosalind let out a sigh of relief and Hound pricked his ears up. Tommy scooped up Batty in his arms and they started toward the house, Rosalind relieved and wondering how she would explain this to Daddy, Tommy also relieved and glad that Batty was safe and sound, so that Rosy could stop worrying. Batty, asleep and shivering still, dreamed of a boat that would take her anywhere and always lead her home.

They met up with Jane, who ran to the house to start a warm bath. Skye, seeing them from the roof, offered to cook dinner and was thanked, though Tommy would make sandwiches.

After a hot bath and a sandwich, Batty told Rosalind what she'd been doing.

"I just wanted a place of my own; Jane has her rock and Skye has the roof. So I took my wagon and Gary and Lily and looked for a place of my own." Rosalind gave her a giant hug, and said, "I know just the place."

Together the two sisters walked back to the house, Tommy whistling merrily. After a warm bath, chocolate chip cookies (which Tommy ate quite a few of), Rosalind took Batty to a perfectly intact and clean attic.

**Thank you for reading! This will be my last story, as I think my email has been hacked. Readwriteedit, thank you for the cookies suggestion.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everybody-good news: email wasn't hacked; will be okay. More stories to come. My little sis will be posting fanfiction too. Watch out for Kso!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Penderwicks.**

Mr. Penderwick locked up his office in the Botany department and headed out to his car. Iantha Penderwick was working late, as he'd assumed from when he'd visited her earlier. She had hardly looked up, engrossed in her latest theories about dark matter. Mr. Penderwick had smiled and shook his head.

A short drive later, he opened the back door to see a strange scene before him. Rosalind held a pan of cookies in both hands with Tommy trying to steal one, Jane was scribbling madly (no surprise there) and Skye was helping Batty. That was strangest of all.

But Mr. Penderwick, calm botany professor that he was, merely said, "Quod genus crustulum sunt roseo?"


End file.
